The ‘Harlem Shake’ hits Nicaragua

By:Tim Rogers / Nicaragua Dispatch | February 20, 2013

(posted Feb. 20, 12:00 p.m.)- The Internet sensation known as the Harlem Shake has arrived in Nicaragua, spawning at least five different versions uploaded to YouTube in the past week.

Students at prep school in Managua that wished to remain unidentified do the Harlem Shake

The Internet fad, which has gone viral around the world in the past three weeks, is a 30-second video clip of people dancing to the electronic song “Harlem Shake” by DJ Baauer. The video usually starts with one person—oftentimes masked or in costume—dancing by him or herself, seemingly unnoticed by the others in the room. Then the beat kicks in and everyone joins the dance in a frenzied and chaotic fashion.

Versions of the dance vary wildly, allowing for lots of creativity. The most-viewed Nicaraguan version, performed by the students of a well-known prep school in Managua, who asked that their school remain unidentified, features one student dressed in a swimming cap and sunglasses dancing by himself in the middle of the classroom. When the beat drops, the lone dancer is suddenly joined by the rest of his classmates, many of whom are dressed in Nicaraguan folkloric costumes or other crazy outfits. The video, which was uploaded on Feb. 15, has already been viewed more than 5,200 times.

Another creative version of the Harlem Shake, performed by tourists at León’s Bigfoot Hostel, features a bunch of people dancing in the orange jumpsuits used for sand-boarding. Halfway through the video, a Nicaraguan cop enters and pretends to give one of the dancers a beatdown with his truncheon.

Worldwide, there have been more than 40,000 different versions of the Harlem Shake video uploaded to YouTube as of Feb. 15, according to a posting on Wikipedia. The number has grown much more since then.

There are at least five Nicaraguan versions that have been uploaded to YouTube in the past week. How many more will come?

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